Remarks by Justice Joette
Katz at the James W. Cooper Fellows Portrait Exhibit Honoring the Women
of the Bench

It is such a pleasure
for me to be here this evening as the senior female member of the bench.
I am also very happy that that status will change in the very near
future when
Judge Rogers is sworn in as the new Chief Justice of the Connecticut
Supreme Court. Please join me in welcoming her.

We are among giants
today. And quite frankly, I feel as though I have stood on their
shoulders. Many of the women whose photos hang in this exhibit paved the
way for others like me to ascend with relative ease. Thank you.

When I first became a
public defender doing appellate work, it was inspirational for me to see
then Associate Justice Peters sitting on the state's highest court. The
appointment in 1978 of Justice Peters, who was a tenured law professor
at Yale Law school at the time, was a stroke of genius by then Governor Grasso, but as the timeline demonstrates, Governor Grasso had very few
women judges to chose from. Although she never claimed to be, Justice
Peters was indeed a role model to a generation of women lawyers, as were
Judge Billie Dupont and Judge Ellen Burns. Quite frankly, these
trailblazers made us believe that we could have it all-- careers,
families, outside interests, in short, fulfilling and multi dimensional
lives. As these women worked, initially behind the scenes and later
front and center, through various committees to eliminate discrimination
and enhance the role of women at the bar, they also taught us about the
need to nurture the next generation of women lawyers. Today, as the
ranks continue to swell, the more junior members of the bench have taken
the baton to find new ways to inspire future generations and thereby
enrich the profession.

The number of women
entering the legal profession in itself has increased the profession's
diversity, but we need to increase diversity in other ways as well, and
I emphasize issues of color and sexual orientation. Although women
attorneys entering the profession today do not face the same challenges
and barriers as the generations before them, there remain other equality
concerns. We need to bring all of us along, not just some of us. Like
the work-life balance issues, these diversity issues affect all lawyers,
not just the women. But tonight is about recognizing how far we have
come and to thank all of you, your perseverance, contributions, and
generosity in inspiring countless women to enter this noble profession
and to thank the Bar Foundation for its vision in providing us with this
exhibition.